In methods and devices for controlling an internal combustion engine the desired torque is ascertained on the basis of the driver input and converted into a fuel quantity to be injected. Preferably, an overall injection quantity to be injected during an injection cycle is specified.
The overall injection quantity resulting in this conversion relates exclusively to a specific operating mode of the engine. In a diesel engine, for instance, one operating mode is lean-combustion operation with conventional diesel combustion. The operating mode determines the efficiency of the fuel conversion into torque. If additional operating modes are used, such as an operating state in which a particle filter is regenerated, this efficiency changes. As a result, the conversion of torque into fuel quantity no longer provides the correct results. This efficiency deterioration is attributable to the fact that during the regeneration fuel is injected at an angular dimension that renders only a slight or no contribution to the overall torque. To achieve the desired torque, the fuel quantity may thus have to be corrected accordingly. Such a correction in the individual operating modes has the disadvantage that each additional operating mode has a dependence on every other operating mode.